


Modern Vampirism

by jabedalien



Series: Modern Vampirism [1]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Blood Drinking, Intoxication, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, i just did what i wanted with the timeline, post finale a little, vampire!abed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:49:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25461961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jabedalien/pseuds/jabedalien
Summary: “I’m not really sure how to tell you this, but I think I’m a vampire.”“Did you forget our conversation about how you can’t deflect my genuine concern with movie references?”
Relationships: Abed Nadir & Jeff Winger, Abed Nadir/Jeff Winger, Troy Barnes & Abed Nadir
Series: Modern Vampirism [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866472
Comments: 14
Kudos: 58





	Modern Vampirism

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a fun Jabed au to try out something different and has quickly turned into my masterpiece? Not sure how this got so long or weirdly deep but I was really invested in getting it all out in one part so this is the culmination of a few weeks of work. 
> 
> Setting this in a vague post-Troy leaving scenario. Abed, Jeff, and Annie are living in the apartment. Also I know Annie’s doing forensics at this point but just allow me my little plot devices please. 
> 
> Blood tw but I think a pretty average amount of blood for a vampire story.

Jeff woke up before Abed did, which was fairly usual. Abed was tangled into his legs though, so he resisted getting up and just shifted into a more comfortable position, reading the posters plastered across the walls, which were constantly being added to or rearranged. The room was much more Abed’s than his, but Jeff didn’t really mind. When the only things he kept from his old condo were the lamp Chang had shattered, a pull-up bar for the closet doorway, the box of cards from when he was a kid, and a full length mirror, he was happy that at least one of them had a personality to inject into the space. He moved again and Abed blinked his eyes open, looking up at him.

“Can you close the blinds? It’s insanely bright in here.” Abed mumbled.

Jeff looked from the dim light coming through the window and back to Abed’s face in confusion, but got up and closed them anyway.

“You feeling alright?” Jeff asked as he slid back under the covers.

“Not really, honestly. You can get up if you want, I think I just need to sleep.” Abed said back, closing his eyes again.

Jeff stayed in bed for a little while longer, until it was clear Abed wouldn’t be waking up any time soon, and went out to the kitchen.

“Morning Jeff!” Annie said, chipper as always. “Abed up yet?”

“He was up earlier, but I think he’s sick or something.” Jeff said as he poured a cup of coffee from the full pot. Annie was a lot of things, but an inconsiderate roommate wasn’t one of them.

“Aw, I hope he feels better. I’ve got to get to my internship but let me know if you need me.” She smiled on her way out the door.

Jeff spent most of the rest of the day milling aimlessly around the apartment, kind of unsure of what there was to do without Abed next to him. He went into their room and checked on Abed a few times, but the times he was awake Jeff only got long stares and one-word answers, which was usually a sign for him to back off.

…

“Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?” Jeff asked as he sat down on the bed. It was almost nighttime and Abed hadn’t gone anywhere, so stares and silence be damned, there Jeff was.

“No way.” Abed said, shuffling over and resting his head on Jeff’s lap. He started running a hand through Abed’s hair, but stopped when he noticed pieces of it falling out. Looking at the black strands against his hand, Jeff realized this was going from under the weather to terrifying way too fast.

The usual Abed was always lanky, but there was some muscle on his bones and Jeff never had any reason to worry. Right now he looked more emaciated than anything. The already sharp angles of his face had turned skeletal, his cheeks were hollow and his eyes sunken in with dark bags under them. He was wearing Jeff’s clothes, which hid most of his frame, but where the t-shirt rode up Jeff could see a hip bone jutting out sharply and a torso that was all skin and bone.

“Alright Abed that’s it. I know you don’t like doctors but I’m starting to get kinda freaked out here. I seriously need to take you to the hospital.”

“You definitely can’t do that.”

“Why? You look sick as hell, Abed.”

“I’m not really sure how to tell you this, but I think I’m a vampire.”

“Did you forget our conversation about how you can’t deflect my genuine concern with movie references?”

“I’m being serious. Just hear me out. The sun gives me a splitting headache, and look at this.” Abed said, getting up and grabbing Jeff’s silver watch from the nightstand and holding it against his arm. When he lifted it, there was a red blister covering the spot.

“Maybe you’re having some weird allergic reaction to something.”

“No way. I’m starving but the idea of food makes me sick. And there’s also this.” He added, getting up and bringing Jeff over to the mirror.

They both stood in front of the mirror, but when Jeff looked at their reflections it seemed like he was alone. He looked from the mirror to Abed in shock.

“I know you like messing with me, but you’re taking this a little far, Abed. I’m not even sure what special effects trickery you’re doing to make this happen.”

“Jeff…” He said slowly. When Jeff turned to look at him he moved his lips to reveal two sharp white canines.

“Holy fuck Abed, you’re a vampire.” Jeff said, his eyes wide.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say. There was a bat in the lost and found the other day, when I was looking for props in there, and it bit me. I didn’t think much of it then, but that had to be it, right?” Abed asked, showing his bony arm with a small mark on it.

“If Greendale was anywhere else I’d definitely be more shocked right now.”

“I wonder if there are other vampires I can go party in a secret warehouse with. Or if I sparkle in sunlight. Or if I can turn into a bat. Should I start sleeping in a coffin? Will I never be able to eat Italian food again?”

”You done yet?”

“Not even close.”

…

They both froze when they heard Annie knock at the door, and Jeff opened it. When she spotted Abed she gave her signature gasp.

“Abed, you don’t look so good,” She said, running over to him and inspecting his face. “you’re so gaunt, and pale, and god, you’re cold as ice.”

“I think I need blood.” Abed said.

“You need _what_?”

“We’re about a hundred percent sure he’s a vampire.” Jeff said.

“Vampires aren’t real.”

Abed showed Annie the fangs, and she staggered backwards into the wall.

“This isn’t real. It can’t be.” She said breathlessly.

“I’m pretty sure it is.” Abed deadpanned.

“How the hell did this happen?” Annie asked, walking back over to Abed and pulling up his lip to take a closer look at his teeth.

“Don’t doubt what Greendale will do to keep you there forever.” Jeff said.

“Not funny Jeff! This is serious you guys. Did you get attacked by a vampire and just not tell us?”

“He got bitten by a bat in the lost and found.” Jeff answered for him.

“Tomorrow you guys can go back there and take a look around. For now I’ll go over to the hospital and pretend I forgot something. I can probably snag a bag of blood.”

“I’m surprised by how quickly you guys are accepting this.” Abed said.

“Well Greendale’s been weirder, I guess.” Annie said. “And you really look like you’re dying right now. So if you think you need blood, screw it, I’ll go find some.”

She grabbed her bag off the counter and headed out.

“You really don’t look good.” Jeff said as the door swung closed.

Abed went to look in the mirror before stopping himself. “I forgot about that one.”

“Maybe it’s for the best.”

“Probably.” Abed said as he pulled up the edge of the shirt and inspected his ribs. “Can we watch something until Annie comes back?”

“Only if it’s Twilight.” Jeff smirked.

“I hate you. Let’s go watch Blade.”

…

“Okay I got one. God, I hope that’s enough.” Annie burst out as she rushed into the apartment halfway through Blade.

She pulled them out of her bag and handed them to Abed, who inspected them. “How the hell am I supposed to drink this?” He asked to neither of them in particular.

Annie shrugged, pulled the cap off the top, and handed it to Abed. He took it and started drinking from it like a straw.

“Is it working?” Annie asked, but Abed was too busy finishing it to answer.

When the bag was drained Abed blinked a few times. “I feel a lot better already.”

“That was seriously creepy.” Jeff said. He didn’t think he’d get the image of Abed sucking down a blood bag like it was a capri-sun out of his mind anytime soon.

“I think I’m good, at least for now,” Abed said.  
“We’re gonna have to figure something out,” Annie wrung her hands in worry. “I can only do that so many times before I get caught.”

“Maybe I can bite really terrible people and deal out of vigilante justice.” Abed pondered, smiling.

“Abed, you do realize the manager from Señor Kevin’s wouldn’t count as vigilante justice, right?”

Abed raised his finger in recognition. “We can figure out something else.”

...

Annie refused to sit through the rest of Blade with them, saying it reminded her too much of the night with Britta, and went into her room. Jeff was focused on the screen for the first few minutes, and when he turned to Abed next to him he was shocked by how much better he looked.

Abed noticed Jeff’s eyes on him and looked over.

“Something wrong?” he asked, tilting his head a little.

“You look good.” Jeff said. “Like _supernaturally_ good.”

His coloring was back to its usual caramel brown, and even under the dim light he had a glow to him. Abed’s hair had definitely all grown back, and it looked a little longer even, and shinier. His big eyes had an unusual glint to them when he smiled a little, and Jeff caught a glimpse of the sharp white fangs.

“I guess I have no way of knowing, so I’ll take your word for it,” Abed said back. “Let’s just go to bed.” He added, grabbing the remote and shutting off the TV.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you just turn off a movie like that.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got plenty of time now.”

When they stepped into the bedroom Abed closed the door and kissed Jeff with a vigor he wasn’t expecting. His mouth tasted a little like pennies but Jeff ignored it, along with the foreign feeling of the pointed teeth. He put a hand on Jeff’s chest and went to press him to the wall, but the force behind it hit Jeff like a ton of bricks and the impact knocked the wind out of him for a second. Abed stepped back in confusion and stared at Jeff as he caught his breath.

“Sorry about that, I guess I’m stronger now too.”

“Supernaturally pretty and superhumanly strong is a dangerous combination, Abed.” Jeff said back, looking him up and down. The idea that he had managed that without even trying was a little scary, but mostly Jeff was considering taking him to the gym and testing his strength. Abed was almost overly gentle from there on out, with every touch light and unsure. He was kissing him but would pull back a second too soon, let his fingers flutter at Jeff’s side instead of holding it.

“Sorry about hitting you before.” Abed said just as Jeff was about to fall asleep, turning to look at him.

“It’s alright, Abed. I know it was an accident. You being super strong is actually pretty cool.”

“I just don’t wanna hurt you. Or for you to be scared of me.” He said back, and Jeff could see the fear in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about that, I’m just fine.” Jeff said. “And I don’t think I could ever be scared of you. Even your fangs look more cute than anything.”

Abed smiled just enough to let them peek out and they really did just make his face look a kind of creepy brand of adorable.

“That’s good to hear.” Abed murmured as he settled into sleep. “and don’t let me bite you.” He added quietly.

...

Jeff parked as close as he could to the building and Abed walked through the parking lot with his hood up and head down.

“I’m a little afraid you’re gonna burn to death out here.” Jeff said with the sunlight shining on his eyes.

“I don’t think it’ll really hurt me, but god it’s _annoying_ ” Abed answered, pulling the strings on the sweatshirt tight, grinning when Jeff laughed at how the hood squished Abed’s face in. They made their way over to the lost and found.

“Jesus Christ, this place is still a mess.” Jeff said, picking up a crumpled bee costume.

“Yeah, and there’s all kinds of weird shit in here. I don’t see the bat anymore though.”

Abed walked over to a pile of dungeons and dragons books and started sorting through them, putting a few he didn’t have into his bag. It wasn’t like anybody would notice them missing in this mess anyhow.

“This looks promising.” Jeff said, picking up an old leather-bound book and flipping through yellowing pages with black ink drawings. Abed slid up next to him and leaned in.

 _Vampires And Their Familiars_ the page read, accompanied by an illustration of a fanged vampire, with her pulling blood from a human woman’s wrist.

 _“Vampires often find company in a Familiar, a human friend or lover who is kept alive and un-aging indefinitely by the vampire. They offer their blood to feed on without being turned, and for this they are rewarded with protection, eternal life, companionship, and physical pleasure.”_ Jeff read from the page.

“Huh.” Abed said, taking the book from Jeff’s hands and looking through the rest of it. “I guess it’s good to know I can take blood from someone without turning or killing them. That last part’s kinda weird though, what could that even mean?”

“Do you want to try it with me later?” Jeff asked cautiously.

“Definitely.” Abed nodded. “I didn’t tell you this before, because I thought it would scare you, but your blood smells amazing. Like buttered noodles. I can hear it in your veins sometimes and it’s insanely tempting.”

“Really?” Jeff asked, a little confused. “What about Annie?”

“Annie too, a little bit at least,” Abed answered as he took the book and they left the lost and found. “Mostly you though. It just smells a lot better than anyone else’s. And I’m always near you, so there’s no way of forgetting it’s there.”

Jeff, in all his ego-driven glory, sort of liked the idea.

…

“Are you sure this is alright?” Abed asked. He was sitting between Jeff’s legs and leaning into his chest, toying with Jeff’s wrist in his hands. The two of them had figured out that though Abed was much colder to the touch now, when they sat together like this he seemed to absorb at least some of Jeff’s warmth.

“Yeah, go for it.” Jeff said, trying to hide his nervousness. Abed ran his thumb over the pulse point before he carefully aligned his teeth with the spot and bit down. The pain was sharp but fleeting, and after the initial bite it stopped hurting at all.

Jeff had been a little worried about what the book meant by “physical pleasure” until a few seconds in. Him and Abed smoked on occasion, sure, but he’d never felt a high like this in his life. At first he thought he was just getting lightheaded, but the feeling was beyond euphoric. It was like the happiest drunk he’d ever been, and the feeling lingered after Abed stopped but Jeff was still aching for him to do it again.

“God, that was so much better than the bag from the hospital. How bad did it hurt?” Abed asked, wiping his mouth, but his lips were still stained red and glossy.

“Not much at all, and I feel amazing right now.” Jeff said, unable to contain his smile.

Abed grinned back and his teeth were smeared with blood. He licked it off while Jeff watched intently before leaning in to kiss him. As he did it, Jeff figured realized he was probably going to have to learn to deal with blood-flavored kisses. But it didn’t matter when even Abed biting at his bottom lip a little delivered a taste of that same high.

“So you really want to be my Familiar?” Abed asked when they pulled away, staring Jeff in the eye.

“I can’t think of many things better than you doing that to me forever, honestly.” Jeff said, almost surprised by how much he meant it. Abed flashed his fangs in a grin and kissed him again before laying down against his chest.

“Me neither. Your blood was really warm. And it did kinda taste like buttered noodles.”

The part Jeff was afraid to bring up was that if vampires only have one Familiar, that can be with them for eternity, he didn’t think he would be Abed’s first choice. Jeff had come to suspect that him and Troy had been closer than they’d told the study group, but after he left and Jeff and Abed got together he always felt like it was too fragile to ask about, even over a year later.

Jeff was still in the dreamy haze, reminiscing about the first time Abed had kissed him, a few months after Troy left. This was still the dreamatorium then, and Abed had wanted him to run some weird Jeff/Annie simulation set in a hospital school or something. To be honest Jeff hadn’t been very invested in the story to start. But when he kissed him Jeff immediately knew it wasn’t an act or Abed playing Annie. They’d both kissed Annie before, and they both knew Annie didn’t kiss like that. She was sweet and gentle and slow. That kiss was rough and desperate and so inexplicably _Abed_ that from the moment their lips met Jeff was in deep trouble.

He told himself it was purely physical when he took Abed back to his apartment and they got drunk out of their minds together so Jeff could feel better about tearing Abed’s clothes off. He kept telling himself that the next night, and the one after that too, even though he knew the truth all along.

The truth being that as the nights together turned into days together, which turned into weeks, Jeff had become pathetically, hopelessly in love with Abed. It was pretty embarrassing, especially when he brought it up to Britta for the first time and she laughed for a full minute before realizing he wasn’t kidding. In those early days he knew Abed was only with him to fill the Troy-shaped void in his soul, and the worst part was the fact that Jeff didn’t even care. All he wanted was to call Abed his own, even if only for a little while, so he was happy to act as a placeholder for Troy as long as Abed was willing. The way Abed looked at him, how he held him under the water and drowned him with those huge soft eyes, even if it was short-lived or illegitimate, was worth whatever little scrap of dignity Jeff Winger had left.

But now they’d been living together for almost six months, and dating for over a year, which still surprised Jeff sometimes, that he’d been with Abed for this long, when he’d gone his whole life without being able to keep a girlfriend for more than a month or two. However he was just starting to settle into it, get used to waking up next to the same face every morning. He was finally beginning to accept that maybe Abed really did love him, that even though they didn’t say it to each other in three words all that often, maybe it was what Abed meant when he hung the big Sixteen Candles poster front and center opposite their bed and never moved it. Now Abed was a _fucking vampire_ and they were staring down the long road of eternity. If a year together felt like this, where would they be in five years? How about ten? Or a hundred?

“What about Troy?” Jeff blurted out, then immediately regretted saying anything at all.

“What about him?”

“Well wouldn’t you rather him be your Familiar?”

Abed didn’t speak for a while, and Jeff was wondering if this was going to be another conversation he had to leave hanging forever until Abed opened his mouth.

“Well I loved Troy,” He started, and Jeff was shocked by how simply Abed had said it. “and Troy knew I loved him, but he left anyway. I wasn’t mad at him, I don’t think I ever could be. He wanted his own life, to get out of Greendale and see the world, and I wanted that for him. But he didn’t come back, and I’ve long accepted that maybe he never will. I don’t like change though, and neither do you. That’s why I love you so much. You’re the only person I’ve ever met that I know isn’t going to leave me. Annie once said to me that if you’re loved by someone like you, you’ll never be un-loved, and I know she was right.”

“Annie usually is.” Jeff said, still trying to process everything. “But you might have to get used to change, considering the whole immortality thing.”

“That’s gonna be really weird, the only thing keeping me from going crazy over it is knowing you’ll be there too.” Abed pressed an impossibly cold foot into Jeff’s leg. “And I think I know what you meant last night, because you really look network tv perfect right now. I’ve never seen your eyes so blue.” He added, tilting his head to inspect them.

“Don’t be nice to me just because you’re looking for somewhere to warm yourself up.” Jeff teased.

Abed put his other foot on Jeff in defiance, but his voice was soft. “Thanks for being okay with... all of that.”

“I’m not exactly shocked, I've accepted most of it already. It’s just good to hear you talk about it.” Jeff said, wrapping his arms around Abed and hoping he could warm him, at least a little.

…

Jeff heard something rustling outside and rubbed his eyes open. The clock said 3:28 am, but it looked like there was a light on outside the door. Abed had tried to explain the shoe-stealing landlord situation once, except he did it all in character as Batman and Jeff hardly understood any of it, but he was still more than a little cautious. He turned to wake Abed and realized his side of the bed was empty. He quietly opened the door and saw Abed deep in focus at the kitchen table.

“What’s all this?” Jeff asked, sitting down next to Abed. He’d covered the table in pages of notes, paints, and a tiny soundstage made out of a cardboard box.

“Gonna try out stop motion animation , I’ve never had the patience for it before.” Abed said, using a small metal tool to texture the black hair on the little figure in his hand. “Or the dexterity.”

Jeff looked at the sketchbook next to him Abed was referencing. They didn’t have many pictures together, but one of them was pasted to the top of the page. It was probably Jeff’s favorite too, from not long after they’d started dating. Britta took it when she didn’t realize her camera was turned on, so it’s a little crooked and the lighting could definitely be better, but Jeff likes the way it captured the moment. Abed’s sitting on the edge of the study table, his legs swinging and Jeff standing next to him. Their sides are pressed together and Abed is leaning against Jeff’s shoulder, even now he can remember being distinctly pleased with it, like the casual intimacy was some small proof he was doing something right. Abed has a finger up, and Jeff’s laughing at whatever he’d been saying, he can’t even recall anymore. They’re both smiling though, with real, genuine smiles that neither of them make all that often. There are a few different sketches of them surrounding it, some more realistic looking and others in the cartoonish style of the characters Abed’s sculpting. Each has the small addition of little fangs to Abed’s smile, which makes Jeff chuckle.

“You like them?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know you were such a good artist.” Jeff said. “have you always been and just never said anything?”

“I was alright at drawing before, but never like this. I picked up a pencil and it sort of just came to me. We should really take a look at that book.”

“Right now, Abed? It’s the middle of the night.”

“I haven’t been sleeping much either, sorry. I still like going to bed with you though. Cause I do get really cold, and that’s usually when we have sex.”

“Geez Abed, you really are a romantic.” Jeff teased.

“Thanks,” Abed said, either oblivious or uncaring. Probably the second. “Are we reading the book or not?”

Jeff realized that he was already up and there was no changing that now, and shrugged. Abed started putting away his things, placing the figure in a box and taking down the little set. Jeff looked at the drawings Abed made for a minute longer, suddenly realizing that him and Abed would never take a picture together again. He’d never really cared before, in fact he’d always thought most couple’s photos together were super cheesy, but knowing that whatever ones they had now would be it forever made him feel differently. As Abed went to close the sketchbook, Jeff put his hand on the page.

“Do you care if I keep this?” he asked. “I can wait till you’re done with it if you want.”

“Sure, I didn’t think you’d be into this kind of stuff,” Abed said with a hint of pride in his voice. He creased the paper carefully to tear it out. “I’ve just about filled the whole book, so you can take this page.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d like anything you made, Abed.”

Jeff picked up the sketchbook, which had “Modern Vampirism” written across the front in white paint, and started flipping through more of it. There were a few other pages of them together, mostly using references cropped out of group pictures. Eventually Jeff got to a spread of pages that was just him, examinations of his face from a few different angles, careful lines indicating each little expression with a nuance he didn’t know Abed had.

“Now you’re just flattering me.” Jeff said. “I look _really_ good in these.”

“Well I needed the practice. Reading faces is still pretty hard for me, but I know yours better than anyone’s.” Abed said, packing up the other stuff.

As Jeff was looking at each one a little closer, he saw _“Jeffrey Winger-Nadir”_ scrawled into the corner in Abed’s handwriting.

“You little shit!” He exclaimed, having to stop himself from saying it loud enough to wake Annie. “You were fantasizing about marrying me, weren’t you?”

Abed turned and gave him a blank face while shrugging sheepishly. “Only a little. I know it’s weird. Sorry.” He said, going to take the sketchbook out of Jeff’s hand, but he yanked it out of reach.

“I don’t think it’s weird,” Jeff reassured him, reading the words again. “I already knew I was marriage material. But I think Nadir-Winger has a much better ring to it.”

A small smile flashed across Abed’s face before he pressed a soft kiss into Jeff’s lips. “I agree,” He said, then he pressed his face into Jeff’s neck and took a short breath. “I also really want to bite you right now.” He added quietly.

Jeff considered the idea of Abed’s teeth sinking into his throat the way they had on his wrist. He looked down at where Abed had bitten him before, but the marks had already faded. “Okay. How about you do exactly that, and _then_ we read the book?”

“Sounds good.” Abed said, his fangs glinting in his grin.

They turned the lights off and went back to the bedroom, and Jeff got onto the bed. He’d realized after the first time that he probably wouldn’t be able to handle it standing up. Abed leaned over him, studying Jeff with a hungry look.

“Take your shirt off.” Abed demanded, pulling at the hem of it until Jeff obliged. He pressed his fingers around the base of Jeff’s neck, feeling for a spot he liked until he found one right near his collarbone. Without much warning Abed laid down, half on Jeff’s chest, and bit down quickly before sucking at the blood. That same feeling of pure bliss seemed to shoot right to Jeff’s brain.

“Abed,” Jeff muttered. “Oh my god, _Abed_ ” he let out a moan that he would have been embarrassed by if he wasn’t preoccupied by the way Abed was sucking at his throat.

In the back of his head Jeff knew that it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, but he felt like they’d been suspended there forever, Abed’s weight on him and his breaths sounding more like panting than anything. When Abed lifted his head up, Jeff grabbed a handful of hair and shoved it back down roughly. He heard Abed let a short huff out of his nose before putting his mouth back on the bite and letting it bleed again. When he was done the second time he peeled himself of Jeff and sat down on the bed.

“I think you were making sex noises during that.” Abed said after a pause to wipe his mouth and the side of Jeff’s neck, where thankfully the bites only seemed to bleed for as long as Abed was drinking from them.

“Abed, if you felt what I did, you would be too.” Jeff said, feeling an uncharacteristic giggle bubble up in his throat. When he tried to look up at Abed, the colors were too bright and his vision was blurring at the edges. Jeff grabbed Abed by the upper arm and pulled his face in close enough for it to come into focus, their noses a few inches apart. He cupped Abed’s chin in his hand, appreciating how well it fit and the feeling of Abed’s smooth skin.

Abed got the hint and tilted his head as Jeff pulled his face in for a kiss, and it was slow, slow enough that Jeff swore he could feel every tiny movement between them like little sparks.

When they pulled apart Abed licked his swollen lips. “You’re acting weird.” He said, really just as an observation.

“You’re one to talk, Abed,” he shot back automatically. “Even though you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” he added, running a hand up and down Abed’s arm. “have I ever told you I love you?” he asked, slurring the words a little.

That made Abed grin, fangs and all. “You have. But I still like to hear it.” He said. “I think that bite really messed you up, though.”

“Loving you really messed me up.” Jeff said back, cracking himself up like it was the best Winger comeback he’d ever delivered.

…

Abed wasn’t sure if Jeff really meant that, or if he was just high off the bite. Either way, it was weird to see him like this, especially when he turned his neck a little and Abed could see the two red marks. He hoped it wasn’t true, but he had a feeling this was definitely a classic case of the _”Drunk Words are Sober Thoughts”_ trope.

In the very beginning, Abed had a foot out the door. He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t seem to move it, no matter how hard he tried. Whenever he got close, something in him would call out Troy’s name, make him check his phone for missed calls or look at the pictures of them on the wall. Even when he knew Troy didn’t love him back, at least not in the way Abed did, some tiny glimmer of hope still lived on even after he left.

He kissed Jeff for the first time on an impulse, because he looked really, really hot that day and part of Abed wanted to know if the timeline would burst into flames if he did it. He hadn’t expected it to continue, and when it did he wasn’t expecting things to be as good as they were. Troy leaving had given him a kind of sadness he couldn’t shake, one he could see in his eyes when he looked in the mirror, and he was wrought with the knowledge that his friends saw it too. That’s why he loved that picture Jeff had taken from the sketchbook enough to draw it half a dozen times over. He remembered the first time he saw it, studying it for a few minutes, zooming in on his face, marveling at the fact that there wasn’t sadness anywhere. It was right about then that Abed slid his foot out from the door. He let it close, leaving it unlocked for Troy to step back into his life should he ever knock, but he stopped waiting for it. He opened the window and let Jeff in. Maybe this wasn’t a great metaphor, because Jeff was pretty tall and fitting him through a window might be a struggle, but Abed sort of liked the idea anyway.

The difference now, he figured, was that he didn’t want Troy to come back for _him_ specifically anymore. He just wanted to see Troy make Annie smile or call Britta the worst or build a cardboard submarine with him. Maybe Troy would find it odd that him and Jeff were together now, but Abed daydreamed on more than a few occasions about the three of them hanging out together, about what it would be like to have a best friend and a boyfriend at the same time.

He was happy he’d finally been able to be honest about his past feelings for Troy with Jeff, and it seemed like now that he’d said what they both already knew maybe they could move past it. But that didn’t change the fact that Abed knew he had messed Jeff up. He hadn’t meant to, not really, but it happened. Abed had fucked with Jeff’s image of himself, with his supposed sexuality, with his position in the group, with his fears of commitment, his abandonment issues, and probably a million other things, all while not being entirely sure what he was doing.

To be honest, Abed still didn’t always know what he was doing. He was hyphenating their last names in his sketchbooks like Jeff was his love interest in a cheesy coming of age film (thankfully Jeff hadn’t seen that on a few other pages he even wrote their initials together like people do when they carve them into trees in movies, because somehow that was even more embarrassing). He was sculpting little heart eyes for when his stop-motion figure looks at Jeff and the love is so overwhelming Abed can’t understand how it doesn’t spill out of him.

It actually pissed him off sometimes, that he knew his face didn’t look like that in real life and he wasn’t sure _how_ to make that expression in a way other people could read it. But it was there, when Jeff was giving a speech in the study room and everyone was looking at him, he’d catch Abed’s eye and Abed would feel like he was melting into the floor, but his face never changed, at least as far as he could tell. _Jeff knows_ he thought to himself, and maybe he was right, and Jeff did know, or maybe it was just hopeful, that Jeff could read so closely into him that he could see the thoughts running behind his eyes.

“I love you.” Abed said, no lead up to it because he couldn’t think of one and he knew Jeff wasn’t going to care.

“I love you too, Dracula.” Jeff smiled, jokingly hitting Abed on the shoulder with the leather-bound book.

“Don’t call me that.” Abed said, but he was still smirking.

“Okay, Edward.”

“That’s so much worse. I’d actually rather you call me Dracula.”

Abed took the book from Jeff’s hand and settled himself in Jeff’s arms, opening to the first page.

“Want to read along?” He asked.

“The words are moving way too fast for me to see them, just give me the highlights.” Jeff said, leaning his head against Abed’s. He started flipping through the pages, skipping things that were no longer relevant, like Avoiding Public Execution and Exorcisms.

“Says here the sun could kill me, but it would take a while. Mostly it’s just headaches and rashes and stuff. Same with silver. Gotta avoid stakes too I guess, but not sure that's going to be a major issue.” Abed said.

He went back to the table of contents before turning to a section titled _Abilities_.

“Strength we knew. There’s a lot in here about coordination too though, and a weird chapter on learning. “ He said, gleaning the important parts for Jeff to nod along to.

“Beauty Auras.” Abed continued. “This sounds interesting.”

_“After feeding, Vampires take on a beauty aura. The effects can last for multiple hours, and in some cases the Vampire’s Familiar will wear a beauty aura as well. This ability evolved from avoiding suspicion through disarming looks.”_

_Disarming_. Abed looked over at Jeff. It was pretty dark in the room, but he studied his face, and that seemed like the right word for it. He looked like himself, just turned up a notch. Abed never doubted Jeff was good-looking, but right now he almost shone with it, his eyes especially. He knew he was staring, and started to wonder why Jeff hadn’t made a sarcastic comment yet before realizing he was staring right back.

“We’re never gonna get through this, are we?” He asked, moving just a tiny bit closer to Jeff.

Jeff grabbed Abed by the chin and closed the gap to meet his lips. “Next time read first, bite second. I'm getting pretty tired.” Jeff told him when they pulled apart.

“Goodnight.” Abed whispered, kissing him on the check. He wasn’t that tired, but he _was_ seriously cold and Jeff felt amazingly warm. Jeff fell asleep fast, and Abed laid there, still as he could be for a while until he was able to sleep too.

…

They spent the next few days sort of dancing around the idea of actually addressing anything, in a way they were mutually quite good at. Abed figured they both knew it, too, that times like this were when the ways they were innately alike meant they were dragging each other down a little, or a lot. Most of the time, that was Abed’s favorite thing about Jeff, that they were different at first glance, but under closer inspection they reflected each other in some odd way. It made things easy, gave him the kind of insight as to why Jeff did things that no one else seemed to have. It almost felt like Jeff was what kept him in the real world, that he could see through Jeff’s eyes sometimes, and it gave him a better understanding of people.

But right now, they were exactly the same in all the wrong ways, ducking out of sight to avoid Annie, who would surely ask them what was going on and when they were going to talk to Britta. They kept to their room, watching tv, Jeff sleeping a lot while Abed just laid next to him, and enough blood sucking to make Abed wonder how Jeff was even still alive at this point. Most of it was unspoken, that they didn’t have to worry about the future or their friends or anything else if they lived in their own little bubble. Abed knew they’d have to pop it eventually, and he was sure Jeff knew too, but it wasn’t worth mentioning until they had no other choice.

…

A few nights later Abed was writing at the kitchen table, and it was almost midnight, with Jeff and Annie both asleep in their rooms, but Abed had a feeling he wasn’t going to for a few hours at least. Writing was _frustrating_ , especially when the characters were him and Jeff and he knew them so well, knew the whole story because it lived in his memories and he’d become experienced at closing his eyes and playing the animated, scripted version of it all in his mind, but when he was staring at the keyboard it always managed to escape him. He’d remember the scene, but when it came to the dialogue he’d be scanning through their conversations, trying to remember _exactly_ how Jeff had said something. He was actually starting to consider abandoning this till tomorrow, when Jeff was awake and could feed Abed lines with his perfect delivery and fix everything that seemed out of character in a way Abed couldn’t put his finger on. Just as he was clicking save, he heard the click of the front door being unlocked and froze, turning towards it. Britta stepped through the doorway, quiet until she turned to Abed and gasped.

“What are you doing here?” Abed asked, confused. “And do you have a key?”

“Just uh, hanging out with Annie. She gave me the key.” Britta answered.

“It’s late.” Abed pointed out. “ I thought she was asleep in there.”

“Yeah well—well I know your secret!” She said back defensively.

Abed flipped the laptop closed, hoping Britta couldn’t see what he was writing. “You know my secret?” he asked slowly.

“Yeah! So it’s fine if we do it too, right?”

“Do what?”

“Well, you know.”

“I… really don’t think we’re thinking about the same thing.”

“Annie knows you and Jeff smoke weed in your room sometimes, alright?!” Britta blurts out. “So every once in a while I come by to smoke with Annie, and she said she was having a hard time falling asleep so, here I am.”

“Yeah we’re _really_ not talking about the same thing here Britta.”

“Well then what secret were you talking about, Abed?” She asked suspiciously.

“You’ve got weed with you?”

“Yeah but—”

Abed carefully opened Annie’s door, and they both peered in to see her sleeping under the covers. “Looks like she fell asleep. Can we smoke it?”

“ _Sure,_ ” Britta said. “But you need to tell me your secret. Is it psychologically traumatizing? Can I help?”

“Don’t think so, and no.” Abed told her. “I just think the high will soften it a little.”

Britta shrugged, but pulled a blunt out of her bag and lit it, taking a puff before passing it to Abed. They sat on the kitchen table and didn’t say anything for a while, silently passing it back and forth.

“Can you tell me now?” Britta asked, white smoke still spilling from her mouth.

Abed’s head felt a little weightless, and he’d already almost forgotten what he was supposed to tell Britta, which made him laugh.

“Wait a second,” She said, putting her head in front of Abed’s face. “Were your teeth always like that?”

“Like what?” Abed asked, but he was still grinning and he knew the bluff was pretty pointless and not at all believable.

“Pointy like that.” Britta said, inspecting them closer.

“That’s the secret actually.” Abed admitted.

“That you have weird teeth?” Britta asked.

“Jesus Christ Britta, how high are you?”

“Well I smoked a little before I got here, alright!?” She said, throwing her hands up in surrender.

“Okay well what has teeth like this?” Abed asked.

“I don’t know, snakes?”

Abed shook his head.

“Vampires?”

He nodded.

“Are you making a vampire movie and getting into character? These are pretty cool fake teeth.” She said, reaching her pointer finger out to touch them before Abed moved her hand away.

“They’re my real teeth,” Abed said, pushing on one with his thumb to prove it. “I got turned into an actual vampire.”

“ _No way_.” Britta gasped. “Are you gonna kill me and drink my blood now?” She asked, leaning away.

“Nope. I drink Jeff’s blood, but that’s it.” Abed said, taking another pull from the blunt.

“Did you kill Jeff?”

“Britta, what the hell?”

“Just making sure.”

“Actually the opposite. He’s my Familiar, so I drink his blood, and then he can live forever with me.”

“That’s really creepy. But also sort of romantic, I think?” Britta answered, feeling a lot better knowing that Abed _isn’t_ going to suck the blood out of her body.

The blunt was nearly gone, and Abed grabbed a mug from the kitchen for Britta to ash it into.

“Wanna wake Jeff up so I can prove I didn’t kill him?”

“Sure, why not?” Britta said, and Abed led her into their room.

“Hey Jeff,” Abed whispered, shaking his shoulder. He leaned over Jeff’s ear. “Babe, wake up.”

“ _Abed?_ ” Jeff muttered, his voice raspy. “What’s going on?”

“Britta’s here.”

“Britta’s here?” He repeated, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Hey Jeff.” She called out from behind Abed.

Jeff sat up against the bed, looking at least somewhat awake now. “Holy shit she’s actually here. _Why_ is she here? And why do you two smell like a dispensary?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty high right now.” Abed said, giggling a little, which only made it more obvious, because Abed wasn’t exactly one to giggle otherwise. He sat down on the bed next to Jeff. “And I told Britta.”

“You told Britta?” Jeff questioned, then looked up at her.

“Were you guys scared to talk to me about it or something?” She asked, leaning against the nightstand.

“Honestly, yeah.” Jeff admitted. “No offense, but you aren’t always the easiest person to tell secrets to.”

“Is this about when you told me you were in love with Abed? Am I seriously going to have to apologize for that forever, Jeff?”

Jeff smirked. “It is about that, and yeah, maybe a little bit.”

“Come on, you know I’m open-minded and all that. I was just—taken aback the first time you told me, alright?! I honestly thought it was a joke.”

“How bad was it?” Abed asked.

“Not that bad.” Britta said at the same time Jeff said “Terrible.”

“You’re being dramatic, Winger.”

“I’m really not.” Jeff said, turning to Abed to defend himself. “She laughed in my face for so long, Abed, you have no idea. It took me like ten minutes to convince her I was serious too. And then she said she didn’t think you liked me like that.”

“Well I’m pretty happy I was wrong, and I did Britta that one.” She supplied. “But I think we’re losing sight of the actual issues here, like the crazy, supernatural ones?”

“It’s a little crazy, sure.” Jeff says. “But well within the realm of Greendale when you think about it.”

“I guess so.” Britta said, eyeing Abed. “How’d it happen?”

“Well there was this bat—”

“What the hell is going on?” A voice called from the door, and Annie stepped into the room.

They all paused and turned to her. “Oh my god Britta, I totally fell asleep, sorry!” She said.

“You knew about this Annie?" Britta asked.

"She stole blood for me." Abed told Britta. "It was actually pretty badass."

Annie grinned. "I'm just glad I don't need to anymore. And good thing you told Britta, because I was definitely going to slip up soon."

"So Jeff's blood is all he drinks, right?" Britta asked. "Because I don't really think it would be ethical--"

“Hey gimme a sec guys, I’m getting a call.” Abed interrupted, pulling his phone out.

“Who’s calling you this late?” Annie asked.

“This lady I've been talking to him about the webseries. These people have weird sleep schedules.” Abed said, already picking it up and leaving the room.

“What webseries?” Britta asked.

“It’s about all this vampire stuff,” Jeff explained. “He’s been promoting it all over the place and it’s going really well.”

“You sound like you’re really into this.” Britta grinned.

“Jeff likes being the lead.” Annie added.

“That explains it.” Britta laughed.

Abed walked back in the room grinning, fangs on full display, and Jeff could see Britta and Annie staring at them. He’d gotten pretty used to them at this point, and now when he pictured Abed he had the fangs. “That woman was from Adult Swim, and she said they could get me the money to make the webseries. Make it like, really well.” He said excitedly. “I’m gonna need a few new sets, some lights for sure, I could definitely get a new camera too..”

“Awh Abed that’s amazing!” Annie gushed, running over and wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

“That’s awesome Abed, I don't think I know Adult Swim though, what kind of stuff do they usually make?” Jeff asked.

“Well there’s this one show, it's pretty good—” Abed started. “But you’d hate it. You’re way too much like the main character.”

“Fine.” Jeff shrugged. “But still, this is pretty cool.”

“Cool cool cool.” Abed said back, shooting finger guns at him.

Annie paused then looked to Abed. “But how can you make something about you being a vampire without telling people you’re an actual vampire?”

“Well I’ve been trying to stay as hidden as I can, saying it’s part of my ‘character’ or whatever, and people have been buying that. But vampire stories are written like every other day it isn't exactly suspicious. Plus I can just say it’s a metaphor and leave everyone to argue over the meaning behind it all.”

“That’s pretty smart. But what _is_ the metaphor?” Britta asked, looking up at the ceiling.

Jeff hit her on the arm. “Britta, you’re high.”

“If Britta’s cool on the whole vampire situation, I’m going back to bed.” Jeff said, laying back down.

“I'm definitely gonna need to hear some more, Jeff."

Jeff groaned, and Abed picked up the book from his cluttered nightstand. “He can sleep, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Deal.” Britta said. “I do also have more weed.”

“Perfect.” Abed raised his eyebrows and grinned as they left for the kitchen.

“I’m going to bed too,” Annie yawned. “Goodnight, guys.”

…

Jeff woke up the next morning with Abed next to him, and he was surprised to see that he was actually sleeping. Before he would get up before Abed most of the time, and it had been sort of nice to sit around in bed with Abed still sleeping next to him. He leaned over, trying not to shift the mattress too much, and grabbed Abed’s sketchbook page from the drawer. Since Abed gave it to him, he hadn’t let it go too far, and he’d looked at it so many times that he figured he had to know every detail of it by now. He was still examining it when he felt Abed move beside him.

“Morning.” Abed said, moving to see what Jeff was holding. “Are those my drawings?”

“Maybe.” Jeff smirked.

Abed looked at the page for a second then turned to Jeff. “Have I ever told you I love you?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s my line, but yeah, once or twice.” Jeff laughed.

“Well I do.” Abed said, and there was a look in his eyes that made Jeff’s insides knot.

“Oh I know it,” Jeff smiled. “and if I ever forget, I think this would probably remind me.” He waved the page in his hand.

Abed leaned forward to kiss him, gently bracing a hand against Jeff’s chest, and he ran his hands through Abed’s hair, already messy from sleep. Usually making out turned into him drinking Jeff’s blood or sometimes the other way around, so Abed pulled away before he could give into the urge to take a bite out of Jeff’s bottom lip.

“Did you talk to Britta last night?” Jeff asked.

“Yep. She’s all caught up, and sleeping on our couch as we speak.”

“She'll probably be there till one at the earliest.” Jeff laughed. “You told her about it all, the immortality and the blood sucking and everything?”

“Just about,” Abed said, nestling into Jeff’s arm. “I only told her what she needed to know about the whole Familiar situation. She’s still got questions about it all, I’m sure, but we’re just taking it one day at a time too.”

“It’s starting to feel almost normal, honestly.”

“It sort of is. I still feel like I should be eating cereal in the morning sometimes though.”

“Wanna bite me instead?” Jeff asked.

“Always.” Abed grinned, fangs shining.

..

EPILOGUE-- 6 years later

“Troy,” Abed said slowly as he picked up the phone, half in disbelief and still unable to find any more words.

“Abed! Thank god you still sound the same,” Troy said, the excitement bleeding through the phone. “You can come get me next week?”

“For sure. Jeff and I are gonna fly out in a few days.” They’d been texting for a couple weeks now, Troy had reached out once he was close enough to the west coast to get a signal. Abed had tried more than a few times to send a message telling Troy about everything, but he always ended up writing a rambling paragraph and then erasing the whole thing.

“Jeff too?! I can’t wait to see you both, and everyone else too. I’m so happy you’re all still close. I mean I knew you would be, but it’s good to hear.”

“Well Troy,” Abed started, recognizing this as his opportunity and steeling for it. “Jeff and I are, well we’re a little closer than friends, if you know what I mean. A lot closer.”

“Dang, can’t say I saw that one coming,” Troy said after a slight pause. “But I’m really happy for you, Abed. Jeff too. Are things good? How long have you been together?”

Abed looked up at the Sixteen Candles poster on the wall. “Things are pretty great. And well, since a few months after you left.”

“So it’s been,” Troy stopped for a minute and Abed could tell he was counting on his fingers. “like seven years. That’s amazing, Abed, I’m happy things worked out for you.”

Abed felt like there was something unsaid in that last line, about how he was happy Abed had found love with someone else, the kind he couldn’t give.

“Any other crazy things I should know?”

“Maybe. Definitely. We have a lot to catch up on.”

“We really do,” Troy laughed. “I’m gonna call Annie next. I can’t wait to see you.”

“I can’t wait either,” Abed said, hoping Troy could hear the grin on his face through the phone.

…

“Abed!!” Troy shouted the second he caught sight of him, running full speed to hug him and Abed knew if he didn’t have vampire strength it probably would’ve knocked him right over. Troy looked a lot different, older and his hair was longer and he had a beard, which Abed really wasn’t expecting. He pulled back and hugged Jeff as well.

“You look so different,” Jeff said. “I like it.”

“Thanks,” Troy grinned. “You guys sort of look exactly the same.” he said like he was just noticing it, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Abed, did you not tell him?” Jeff asked in surprise.

“Not tell me what, Abed?”

“Well you see,” Abed started, hesitating a bit, but he knew there was no point beating around the bush. “A few years ago I got turned into a vampire.”

“No way.”

Abed opened his mouth and pointed to the fangs.

“Abed, that’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. And that would make Jeff your Familiar?”

“Yeah, exactly.” Abed said, confused. “How’d you know that?”

“Well I met a lot of people on my trip, and a lot of people who were, you know, not quite people. There’s some crazy stuff out there.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it. I’m a little disappointed I’m not the first vampire you’ve met, though.”

“Don’t be, you’re definitely my favorite,” Troy said, hugging him again. Abed could tell his blood smelled good too, but after years of only drinking from Jeff he was never really tempted by anyone else.

“This is a lot to think about.” Troy said to Jeff as Abed walked a few steps ahead, looking out over the water. The sun was just setting, and it was dark enough for it not to bother Abed, but still light enough for him to get some video, and he pulled his camera from his bag.

“I know. I really thought he would’ve told you earlier but he does like a dramatic reveal with the fangs.”

“The vampire part isn’t that big of a deal honestly, I’m more talking about the two of you.”

“Huh?” Jeff said back, not quite sure what to make of it.

“Did Abed tell you about us?” Troy asked, so under his breath that Jeff almost didn’t catch it.

“He told me enough, or at least I think he did.”

“That’s good. All I want is for him to be happy.”

Jeff watched Abed trying to film a flock of birds over their heads a few paces ahead. “He’s got a way of eliciting that emotion.”

“You’re not wrong. I just couldn’t make him happy the way you do. And I felt so bad about it that I fucking left. I don’t think I regret it though. I feel like I needed it. And maybe you guys did too.”

Jeff tried to think about where they would’ve ended up had Troy never left. “You’re probably right. We still missed you a lot though, Abed the most.”

“I really broke his heart I think,” Troy said, wincing at the thought. “we kissed once—he wanted to, just to see what it was like, you know? And I agreed, because I mean I thought we may as well try it. I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to kiss someone you weren’t into like that—”

“I’ve got some experience.” Jeff said, thinking about how before Abed he used to hook up with any girl that showed even a little interest in him, in a backwards effort to feel better about himself. Thinking about it now, it took him way too long to realize that doesn’t work.

“Well it just feels sort of _mushy_ , I guess? And not quite right.”

Jeff nodded in agreement.

“That’s how it was with Abed. Like he’s a good looking guy and it was a nice kiss but it felt a little off. So I pulled back thinking that it wasn’t meant to be, but then I looked at Abed’s face and realized we weren’t on the same page at all. For a second he was looking at me the way he’s been looking at you since you guys picked me up.”

As if on cue, Abed moved his head from behind his camera and met their eyes for a moment. Jeff realized he knew what Troy was talking about, but over the years he’d started taking it for granted. It was hard to believe he’d forgotten that someone like Abed looking at him with those eyes had to be some sort of miracle.

Troy paused for a second. “Made me wish I’d never even kissed him, like it was something he would have been better off not knowing. But I can’t be sure. And I left not too long after that. I still can’t believe I did that man, left you guys, left _Abed_.” He finished, looking up at Jeff.

“Yeah but you said it yourself Troy, you needed it, and I think the rest of us did too, Abed included. Just don’t run off on us again, alright?” Jeff smiled, wrapping an arm around Troy’s shoulders.

“Abed really softened you up,” Troy teased as he grinned and leaned into Jeff’s side. “It’s nice though.”

Jeff looked over at Abed, who still didn’t seem to be listening. “Yeah well the first time he kissed me, I knew I was a goner. Never been the same since.”

“Damn. That’s kind of heavy, Jeff.”

“It was at first,” Jeff admitted. “You can imagine I had a terrible time dealing with that.”

“And Abed?”

“It took him a while, but everything worked out alright. The vampire thing kind of brought us closer together, actually.”

“God, that really is so cool.” Troy said.

“It sort of is, isn’t it?” Jeff laughed.

Abed walked up to them, shutting off the camera and putting it back in his bag. “I think I’m gonna use that footage for the intro, and if they let me I’ll add a post credits scene with Troy.”

“Have you told him about the movie?” Jeff asked.

Abed shook his head and turned to Troy, grinning. "Well it started with a webseries, right? I was just making it for fun, but then I got funding to do it really well. And it wrapped a few years ago, but I've done a bunch of stuff since, and people are still talking about it, which is pretty cool. So now Netflix is gonna help me reformat it into a full movie. I'm reshooting some scenes, but most of it will stay the same--" Abed told him excitedly, and Jeff had heard it all a thousand times already but it was still nice to listen to Abed tell the story again.

…

“Can I quote you on some of that stuff you said earlier?” Abed asked as they got under the covers at the hotel that night.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Jeff answered, raising his eyebrows.

“Your conversation with Troy. Really heartfelt, I liked it.”

“You were listening in on us?” Jeff rolled his eyes.

“I have really good hearing now, that’s all.” Abed said, then sat next to Jeff on the bed and looked up at him.

“You’re the worst, Abed.”

Abed just tilted his head and smirked. “ _Never the same_.” He repeated. “One might even call that romantic.”

“Me? Never.” Jeff teased, but he knew he couldn’t deny Abed anything. “But whatever, you can put it in your dumb movie.”

“You love my movie.” Abed said, tracing a finger along Jeff’s neck.

“Yeah, I do.” Jeff said back, looking up at the ceiling for a second. “It’s pretty fucking great.”

“Because it’s a good movie? Or because you’re a lead? Or cause I made it?”

“All of the above.” Jeff answered automatically. “But seriously Abed, it’s gonna be amazing. You’re a genius.”

Abed smiled in that way that’s so bright Jeff figures it makes the sun look dull. “I love you.”

“I love you too. And I love your movie.”

“Is it bad that I care more about the second part?” Abed asked.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Jeff laughed before kissing him goodnight.

…

Sometimes, Jeff wondered how Troy managed to fit so perfectly back into everyone’s lives. He couldn’t picture it, coming back to the same place but the rest of the group was so different. Jeff didn’t think he’d ever be able to adapt to it. But Troy had that way about him, where everyone loved him and had missed his presence so much they were able to just move some things around and put him right back like he’d hardly left.

Abed was probably the happiest, which was really of no surprise to anyone. He’d had that sad look in his eyes for months after Troy left, the kind of look that led to Jeff, Britta, and Annie having secret meetings where they all agreed to keep an eye on him. But eventually that went away, and they all sort of just _adjusted_. Things were never quite right without Troy there, but Britta and Annie always told him that them being together made Abed happy, that he didn’t seem so broken up over it anymore. Jeff liked to think they were right, and Abed had sure seemed happy to him. Him being turned changed a lot too, and they’d spent the last few years adjusting to that situation as well.

Troy had money now, more than he really even wanted or knew what to do with, especially after spending seven years on a tiny sailboat. So he went back to Greendale, insisted on getting Jeff and Abed their own apartment, and one for Britta as well, and kept the original 303 for himself. Annie went to work in DC, and when she came back she stayed with Troy, and Abed would spend the weekend there too. Abed had really appreciated that, like no matter what happened that little piece of the world from their golden age was still intact, even after everything the group had been through. Shirley came around when she could, and was a lot more accepting of the group’s relationships than any of them had imagined she would be.

Their room in this apartment was a lot bigger, but the Sixteen Candles poster was still hanging, and Jeff had tacked the sketchbook page up next to it. Sometimes he’d carry it around with him in his wallet, but over the years it was getting creased and the ink was faded in some spots, and even though he knew Abed could always draw it again, or Jeff could carry a different page with him, he was determined to keep this one, at least for a few more years.

Seeing the rest of the group age was hard, harder than either of them thought it was going to be. Jeff and Abed would sit close at night and talk about it in hushed voices, Abed asking him if Britta always had those lines around her eyes even though he knew the answer already. Jeff would whisper back, voice shaky, and then deny any involvement the next morning. Every birthday was harder than the last, haunted by the knowledge that while everyone else got older, they’d stopped bothering with numbers on Jeff and Abed’s cakes. But they were together, and every day Jeff felt a different kind of lucky for it. They had family dinners at the old apartment, and one time Jeff suggested a dice roll, just as a joke, but Abed flipped out on him on the ride home, and when he said he ‘Couldn’t afford to lose this timeline’ Jeff understood. Things could’ve gone a lot of ways, and this was probably better than most.

Because despite any downsides to Abed being turned, things were good right now. So much so that Jeff sometimes wondered if it was all a dream, or a delusion he was creating from inside a mental hospital, or a mercury fueled-hallucination. But he kept waking up back here in the morning, Abed next to him, his sweet little grin punctuated with fangs that were adorable until they sunk into Jeff’s neck.

…

_Abed Nadir: A Look at the Banksy of Filmmaking_

_Though it’s quite likely you know the work of Abed Nadir, a quickly rising star in the film industry, there is significantly less to be known about the man behind the camera. His wide array of stop-motion films have garnered a cult following, which began with his early webseries, Modern Vampirism. An otherworldly story that examines not only vampire mythology but love and belonging, is being formatted into a film with Netflix this year, cementing Nadir’s career in the film industry. He's done live action work as well, everything from paintball action movies to fantasy adventures._

_Nadir has a way of creating universes in which anything can happen, yet they are lived in by characters that feel so real you could almost reach out and grab them. His themes of friendship, of a search to understand and be understood by others, resonate with all of us. His unique take, one that strikes a balance between comedy and emotion, fantasy and character development, has ushered his films into the spotlight._

_Despite his impressive body of work, Nadir himself remains an enigma. He has no comment on his growing fame, in fact he rarely interacts with any critics or viewers aside from short exchanges with his most dedicated fans. There is no existing evidence of him in front of the camera since his college years, or even any recent photos to be found, however most sources agree he looks the same as he did at that time. Anyone who’s worked with him has more than a few interesting stories from their time on set, ones which only fuel the many rumors floating around about the director. Everything from Nadir’s strong preference towards artificial light to his ability to wield a hundred pound camera on his shoulder for a full day of shooting have been theorized about by his fans. However nothing is more talked about than his personal life, of which nearly nothing is known besides his community college past and his longtime involvement with a man named Jeff Winger, who appeared in much of Nadir’s early work and often accompanies him on set._

_Modern Vampirism is often regarded as an examination of the pair’s relationship through a lens of fantasy, one which has been analyzed time and time again as Nadir’s work grows in popularity. In it, his character is a vampire, which many believe symbolizes his penchant for the mysterious and fantastical that can still be seen in his work today. Jeff Winger is the human-turned-Familiar, whose love for Nadir despite what he is turned into anchors the story._

_Personally, I appreciate Abed Nadir’s ability to step back from the spotlight and let his work speak for itself. And speak it does, with its uncanny ability to deliver a sense of belonging from the most unexpected circumstances, weaved in with the absurdity and hilarity that is beautifully crafted to say everything it’s supposed to without ever feeling like it needs to prove itself._

…

“That’s one nice review.” Jeff said, leaning over Abed’s shoulder to read from his laptop screen.

“You only like it because they mentioned you.”

“You’re not wrong. How long do you think you can keep this image up for though? We’re not getting any older here.”

Abed chuckled at that. “I’m not sure, but I figure when people get too suspicious we can just fake our deaths and start over. Maybe I can get into traditional art, or writing if I can get any better at it. People love authors shrouded in mystery, and hell, we’ve got all the time in the world. May as well try some different stuff out.”

Jeff thought about that, reinventing their identities every generation, a world where everything changed but the two of them stayed the same. “Sounds good to me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to @sirenheims on tumblr for this insanely good art she made! I am so in love with it that there are literally no words.
> 
> And thank you Jabed friends for reading!! I am actually kinda proud of how this turned out because I’ve never tried something like this before and I had pretty low expectations for it. I really just wanted another longish Jabed story to reread when im feeling the feels and also feeling like thinking about Vampire!Abed, who is now the love of my life.


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